Christian Democratic Alternative
The Christian Democratic Alternative (CDA) is a Christian Democratic party in the Most Royal and Serene Kingdom of Hutori. It was founded on July 4 2362 by a group of Adelian politicians led by David Hainsborough. One of the motivations for founding the party was the dominance of the Right is Right party, which held 176 out of 250 seats in Parliament. This party had introduced a motion to reduce the number of seats in His Most Royal and Serene Majesty's Parliament from 250 to 75 seats, so that it would become more difficult for smaller parties to gain seats. Another point of concern for Hainsborough and his companions was the increased secularisation of Hutori and the absence of religious education. Ideological platform In its July 2362 founding manifesto the Christian Democratic Alternative has outlined the following ideological positions: * Local goverment should get a larger say in the nation's affairs. * Civil rights, as far as they aren't a threat to public safety, should be maintained. * The environment must be preserved, but not at the expense of the economy. * Hutori must take on an active stance on the international stage, but mustn't get involved in violent wars. * The government's primary duty is to protect the weak in society. Involvement to fight poverty is necessary, but excessive intervention might be detrimental to society. * The free market is considered an effective information system to obtain vital information on supply and demand, but mustn't become the primary force in peoples' lives. * The military's duty is to protect the sovereignty of Hutori, not to wage wars of aggression. The party advocates a strong defence force. * The party advocates respect, decency and traditional values. * The main concern of the Christian Democratic Alternative is religion. Freedom of religion is considered to be one of the main tenets of democracy. The party supports religious education. History First years In October 2363 the CDA achieved its first success when the Religious Education Act November 2362, which allowed for religious schools, was signed into law by His Most Royal and Serene Majesty, King Jack I. In November elections were held in Hutori and the CDA won a modest victory, entering the 75-seat legislature with 11 seats. 10 of these seats were won in the religious stronghold and headquarters of the party, Adelia, where the party garnered 10 out of 16 seats (corresponding to 60% of the vote). But the victory wasn't large enough to give the party a place in government. In the elections of November 2368 the CDA won a great victory, doubling its share of the seats. It became the largest party in Hutori. It remained by far the largest party in its home region of Adelia and managed to become the leading party in Lagard province as well. The CDA in government In March 2369 the CDA became the leading party in a three-party centre-right government consisting of the CDA, the Centrist Party (CP) and Right is Right (RIR). This government has introduced plans to privatise most of the economy after it was nationalised by the previous government. In 2372 the government was re-elected, and the CDA formed a new cabinet without Right is Right. After the 2376 election, the CDA remained in the government as a junior partner. In the 2372 elections the CDA remained stable across the nation, gaining one seat and holding on to the Prime Ministership. In the 2376 elections the CDA faced stiff opposition from the evangelical religious Conservative Union Party. Its dominance in Adelia was put to an end, but the party became the largest party in Falristan and Kenai province. Even though the CDA lost half its seats the party formed a cabinet with the CUP and the Centrists under CUP Prime Minister Philip Barnwood. The CDA leader, David Hainsborough, blamed himself for the defeat and resigned the party leadership in favour of Justice Minister Nathan Huxley. In 2383 the CDA left the government after a cabinet crisis. The CDA in the opposition Between 2383 and 2393 the CDA's role was limited to the opposition. Huxley vocally attacked the McAllister government, but those attacks ceased when Hutori seceeded from the Union of Macon. The Union regarded the secession as illegal and declared war on Hutori. Several months later Prime Minister McAllister was shot and the CDA decided to cease its opposition. The CDA and the National War cabinet In March 2393 the CDA won a landslide victory in the elections. Huxley formed a National War Cabinet to involve all the parties in the defence of the country. The dark years The CDA lost the 2401 elections, but was part of the government from 2406 till 2410, when Walter Wordsworth was minister of Defence, and from 2413 till 2417, Christopher Townsend was Prime Minister. But his government was ineffective and uninspired and the CDA lost the subsequent election. Despite the poor results Townsend clung to the leadership, becoming increasingly authoritarian with the years. This new style of leadership prompted voters to turn away from the CDA, yielding an all time low for the CDA in the 2421 elections (6.45% of the vote, it had been 30.31% in 2372). Again Townsend remained as leader, but despite making modest gains in the 2425 elections, his leadership was succesfully challenged in a leadership challenge by Charles Henry de Berlaymont, son of a Rildorian nobleman. Recent developments The leadership of de Berlaymont has thus far been characterised by more stability and prudence than that of his two immediate predecessors. De Berlaymont aims to return the CDA to its Christian Democratic tradition. In the 2429 elections the CDA again made modest gains. Leaders Throughout its existence the CDA has had the following leaders: *David Hainsborough, founder of the party – July 4, 2363 - November 30, 2376 *Nathan Huxley – November 30, 2376 - July 12, 2401. *Walter Wordsworth – July 12, 2401 - July 23, 2405. *Christopher Townsend – July 23, 2405 - July 7, 2425. *Charles Henry de Berlaymont – July 7, 2425 - now. Category:Political parties in Hutori